Jessica Lahey is a teacher and writer who writes about education, parenting, and child welfare. She writes the bi-weekly "Parent-Teacher Conference" advice column for the New York Times, and is a regular contributor to the Atlantic.Lahey has taught every grade from sixth to twelfth in both public and private schools. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, Vermont Public Radio, The Washington Post, and the New York Times.Lahey's first book, "The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed," was published in 2015.Lahey received her B.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of Massachusetts, and her J.D. with a concentration in juvenile and education law from the University of North Carolina School of Law.